Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign
partof=World War II, the Pacific War


caption=Two U.S. Marines advance on Wana Ridge during the Battle of Okinawa.
date=January – June, 1945
place=Volcano Islands and Ryukyu Islands, Pacific Ocean
result=Allied victory
combatant1=flag|United States|1912
flag|United Kingdom
flag|Canada|1921
flag|Australia
combatant2=flagicon|Japan|alt Empire of Japan
commander1=flagicon|United States|1912 Chester W. Nimitz
flagicon|United States|1912 Holland Smith
flagicon|United States|1912 Simon B. Buckner
flagicon|United States|1912 Joseph W. Stilwell
flagicon|United States|1912 Ray Spruance
flagicon|United States|1912 Marc A. Mitscher
commander2=flagicon|Japan|alt Tadamichi Kuribayashi
flagicon|Japan|alt Mitsuru Ushijima
flagicon|Japan|alt Isamu Cho
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=19,840 dead or missing,
58,105 wounded,
33,096 non-combat losses,
79 ships sunk and scrapped,
773 aircraft destroyed
casualties2=90,400 dead or missing,
17,000 wounded,
7,671 captured,
21 ships sunk and scrapped,
3,130 aircraft destroyed,
75,000-140,000 civilians dead or missing
notes=

The Volcano and Ryūkyū Islands campaign was a series of battles and engagements between Allied forces and Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific Ocean campaign of World War II between January and June, 1945.

The campaign took place in the Volcano and Ryukyu island groups. The two main land battles in the campaign were the Battle of Iwo Jima (February 16-March 26, 1945) and the Battle of Okinawa (April 1-June 21, 1945). One major naval battle occurred, called Operation Ten-Go (April 7, 1945) after the operational title given to it by the Japanese.

The campaign was part of the Allied Japan campaign intended to provide staging areas for an invasion of Japan as well as supporting aerial bombardment and a naval blockade of the Japanese mainland. The dropping of atomic weapons on two Japanese cities, however, caused the Japanese government to surrender without an armed invasion being necessary.

ee also

* Japan campaign

References

*cite book
last = Drea
first = Edward J.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1998
chapter = An Allied Interpretation of the Pacific War
title = In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army
publisher = University of Nebraska Press
location = Nebraska
id = ISBN 0-8032-1708-0
*cite web
last = Dyer
first = George Carroll
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year =
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/index.html
title = The Amphibians Came to Conquer: The Story of Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner
format =
work =
pages =
publisher = United States Government Printing Office
language =
accessmonthday = October 20
accessyear = 2006